The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has expressed its readiness to partner with the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) in order to increase the acquisition and implementation of indigenous software for domestic solutions.
Dr Umar Bindir, a director at the NOTAP, said the development of software would be used for various sectors.
“The synergy between NOTAP and NCC is going to fully mature this year, so that we can take specific steps either to develop software for banking applications, education sector, health sector and so many more,” he said.
He said they will be looking at partnering with relevant outfits and figuring out how to acquire and domesticate the software.
Bindir added: “Our strategy to acquire and domesticate these software, is first to do with partnership among the agencies that are involved and the key of the partnership are NITTDA, GALAXY BACKBONE, ISPOND, NCC and the Computer Registration Council of Nigeria.”
Bindir also noted importing software in Nigeria will be greatly sustained by fostering the synergy among the various agencies that have been identified.
He stated that the over-reliance of the nation on foreign software is dangerous, thus necessitating the need to take urgent actions with the support of all stakeholders.
“The consumption of software in Nigeria is literally total. We are buying software for the banking sector, communication and oil and gas sectors. It is apparent to say that it is not healthy for Nigeria to depend on software importation, thus the country has to take a position to start injecting a bit of local content in these goods and services,” he said.
